Spot Checking

Spot checking lets you create still image or movie clip exports of individual or groups of frames from data-merged compositions, quickly generating image and movie previews to help you with quality control of batch output. Exported assets rendered during this process are known as spot checks.

Use composition timeline markers to specify which frames you want Templater to export when it creates spot checks. Otherwise Templater samples an evenly distributed number of frames across the target composition's timeline. You should always label your markers with a name that helps identify which image the spot check captured. This makes spot checking easier and quicker for you to use. If you're not the only one working on a composition, it helps others to clearly understand the content of each spot check image.

As of Templater 3.3, you can choose not to label your markers. In this case, Templater names each generated image as SPOTCHECK_1, SPOTCHECK_2, and so on. The more markers you have, the less helpful this naming convention is. The time you spend reviewing your spot checks increases, and others may not be able to tell whether the image shows the right thing.

NOTE  You cannot use a combination of labeled and unlabeled markers, or spot checks may fail.

Spot checks are useful for quickly evaluating and sharing how Templater merges data into various composition layers at specific frames. You can choose the file format of the rendered spot check outputs and pass the absolute path of any spot check to a script that is registered to a supported Templater event.

NOTE  Spot checking requires Templater 3.0 or newer. It is supported in Pro or Bot editions only.